Mount Robson this August: Route Selection

Kraken · July 16, 2012

Hey peoples,

I'm tentatively planning a marathon trip from Alaska to Mount Robson and am settling on a few routes.

I am intrigued with the Emperor Ridge, North Face and possibly the Fuhrer Ridge. Obviously these are all vastly different routes.

A quick search here and on Mountain Project pulled up almost no info (trip reports) on any of these routes and other than the Alpinist issue dedicated to Robson, I have little to go on.

Emperor Ridge is predominately a chossy albeit classic ridge climb with the rime gargoyles where as North Face seems like a basic mountaineering route with a nice moderate ice face...similar to Rainier's Kautz on a bigger scale perhaps?

So, what does anyone who has ever climbed/attempted any of these routes have to say?

And finally, what else would you recommend in the area as an alternative or bonus climb? I have only driven through the area once on the way to a climbing road trip and now I must explore the area more!

My dates are flexible but I'm hoping to hit in mid August with about a 10 day total time frame.

Buckaroo · July 16, 2012

I thought Colin did a TR on the N face. Robson makes it's own weather.

Alternatives, N Face Edith Cavell, Japanese Route or NE Ridge of Mt Alberta.

AlpineK · July 16, 2012

Disclaimer: Take everything I say with a grain of salt since I'm working off memories from 25 years ago and conditions change. the 80s dude

I've spent a couple days camped below the North Face a few days in an August. That time it was solid hot weather and slides would kick on when sun hit the face. The face is pretty moderate alpine ice climbing. Running belays are probably all you need.

We tried to ascend starting at midnight but couldn't cross the schrund since it was chest deep snow wallowing. We bailed, but a party camped nearby made it on to the face a day later. They bailed after a couple pitches when the avalanche cycle turned on.

The Fuhrer Ridge has a similar steepness as the North Face, but you don't start technical climbing, or climbing that isn't a glacier ascent, till a higher altitude. It looks like there is a bit of route finding through rock bands, but not too bad.

I did summit via the Wishbone Arete on a second attempt a couple years later. Above the Y in the arete you ascend through gargoyles and look at similar features on the Emperor Ridge. The Alpine ice isn't too bad. Mostly short steep steps. I couldn't tell you what the lower part of the Emperor is like of course. Rock climbing on Robson is, "interesting."

Weather holds the trump cards for any ascent of Robson, and the shit can hit the fans without warning. On our first Wishbone attempt we bivied above the yellow bands part way through some of the rock climbing. We woke up with our hair sticking straight out and a vague humming sound. We couldn't run, but we descended rapidly. When we did summit the next year weather looked solid in the morning. After crossing the Y, clouds and wind moved in fast over Kinney Lake. At the summit thick clouds and winds ruled. We scurried down the SE route.

If you don't climb Robson head somewhere along the Icefield Parkway. Weather there is quite a bit more predictable. The North Face of Edith Cavell is a good route we climbed it a few days before climbing Robson. Another option is the Tonquin Valley. Of course there isn't much alpine ice, but it's a cool place to go.

In general when looking at alpine climbs near the crest of the Canadian Rockies climbs involving quartzite rock are better than those with limestone. Unless you pick limestone near the Banff area. That's my experience, but others might disagree. Stay the fuck away from shale. I don't think anyone will argue that point.

Edited July 17, 2012 by Feck

montypiton · July 16, 2012

I climbed the N Face the first week of September in 1979. Our time window followed several days of storm which had left 12"+ snow on the face. We began our climb after the face had had two days of sun and two cool nights to stabilize. Even then, we chose to begin the climb in the afternoon, after the sun had left the face, so the snow would be cooling/consolidating while we climbed. Kicked steps all the way, summitted at midnight. Bivvied 'till daylight, when it whited out again, had to use the rope as a compass needle to descend south ridge to Kain face. Ended up bivvied again in a crevasse field below the Kain face, waiting for visibility to navigate through the holes. Lucky for us, weather cleared the following morning. Coulda stayed whited out for days, & we'd still be sitting there... that was a sobering bivouac...

Felt like we got a reasonable look at the Fuhrer from the snow dome below the Kain face - looked like it might be fun if you're reasonably comfortable on dogturdite - not as long/committing as Wishbone arete or the Emperor ridge -- noticed a couple of snow/ice lines on the dogturdite face between the Kain Face and the Fuhrer ridge, that looked reminiscent of the N. Face routes on Mt Hood -- I've occasionally thought about going back to try them... no idea how consistently they form...

it's gorgeous country - we approached up the Robson River & Robson Glacier instead of directly up the Berg Glacier from Berg Lake -- much longer, much more roundabout, but less technical, and DAMN it's pretty!

that said, you gotta WANT these routes, 'cause it's just a looong way in to that side of Robson. we resigned ourselves to big loads and slow travel, more "expedition" style than "alpine" style -- two days to Berg Lake, a third to the Robson Glacier where we left a tent, than a fourth day to the Helmet col, where we bivvied before starting the N Face. made the climb on day 5, then two more days returning to tent on Robson Glacier, (would have been only one, but for the whiteout), another day from our glacier camp down to Berg Lake, and a final long day out for a total of nine days. Current style would be much faster, heading directly up Berg Glacier from Berg Lake, but we sure enjoyed having that much time... just young & dumb & climbing with my girlfriend...